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Technical Specifications
| Project Date | 1991; (January - October) | ||
| CPU | CSG 4510 (Modified MOS Technologies 65CE02) | ||
| Speed | 3.54 Megahertz | ||
| RAM | 128 Kilobytes (expandable to 8 megabytes) | ||
| ROM | 128 Kilobytes (C65 1.0, C64 2.2, and DOS) | ||
| Display | CSG 4569 (VIC-III)
| ||
| Sound | 6 synthesized channels, Stereo (3 Left/3 Right). Capable of 8-bit digitized sound (See Info) | ||
| Storage | Built in 3.5 inch Disk Drive, storing 800K on Disk via Commodore MFM (1581-style) | ||
| Ports | 12 and the Power Port 2 Joystick Ports 1 Expansion Port 1 Serial Port 1 User Port 2 Audio Ports 1 RGB Video Port 1 RF Output Port 1 Composite Video Port 1 Disk Drive Port 1 RAM Expansion Port (on bottom) | ||
C65 Technical Information
Looking at the details, the Commodore 65 really wanted to be a 16-bit machine, and it came as close as possible to being one. The two base chips are the CSG 4510, a MOS 65CE02 with two 6526 CIA's, and the CSG 4569, otherwise known as the VIC-III, a combination of the CSG 6569 (VIC-II) and the C64 Memory Management Unit (MMU).
The floppy subsystem consists of the floppy controller (the F011), which drives the internal Commodore 1581 disk drive. This controller supports up to seven disk drives. This brings up the C65's internal DOS, which is based off of the old CBM IEEE 8250 disk drive. The DOS of this old drive was ported to the C65 by Dennis Jarvis, but had one very large problem. The DOS can only access two drives.
Back to the CSG 4510... This chip drives the video subsystem of the C65, and it performs well. It supports the old C64 40x25 text mode, and also supports an 80x25 text mode. The VIC-III supports all of the old C64 video modes, as well as a bitplane mode. This mode can use up to eight bitplanes, at resolutions up to 1280x400. The palette of the C65 is a 12-bit base, similar to the Commodore Amiga. This means you have a selection of up to 4,096 colors to display on the screen. This information is displayed via either the RGB vieo port, the composite video port, or the RF output port.
The sound subsystem is based off of the old C64 SID synthesizer, except that it has two SID chips, giving you stereo digitized sound. An added feature of the C65 is the offering of two audio output jacks on the back of the unit.
As of the final release of the C65, the Commodore 64 emulation wasn't completed. The C65 has it's native mode, where every feature is available, the CPU runs at full speed, and everything works. Like the C128, it has a C64 mode, but it doesn't work like the C128. All of the extra features of the C65 are available in 64 mode, but this guarantees about a 50% to 80% compatibility factor with the C64.
Technical Data published by Other Sources
- Commodore 65 OpCodes (Jim Butterfield, }>ug Rodger) [2/6/94]
- VIC-III Registers and Architecture (}>ug Rodger) [Undated]
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All written material Copyright ©1997, Nicholas R. Melnick. I am not responsible for any mistakes or false information - and if you have corrections, tell me!
References to this information can be invalid. I am also not responsible. :)